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March 31, 2012

Not long ago I was sent the Sophyto Daily Skin Essentials Collection to test out. I decided to try it and also have a friend try it too, so we switched off on what products each of us were using. This collection contains five deluxe sized products great for everyday use.

Check out my pics, swatches, stats, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Sophyto Daily Skin Essentials Collection

Basic Stats for Sophyto Daily Skin Essentials Collection:

Cost/Availability: $49.00 (1 fl oz full size). Available on the Sophyto website, and everywhere else Sophyto products are sold.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses

Sophyto Daily Skin Essentials Collection Info & Review:

Five daily skin essentials that offer healthy skin maintenance for all skin types. This kit is designed to balance skin's pH and regulate moisture content while offering anti-aging benefits through powerful bioactives derived from vitamin-enriched plant oils and fruit extracts. Use these minis as a way to try out some products from this line before committing to the full sized, or use these for travel.

I'll break it down by product now...

Purifying Silken Cleanser: Removes makeup and impurities without over drying, while conditioning agents restore and maintain skin's natural moisture balance. I liked the way this smelled and how nicely it cleaned my skin. My friend was more fond of this cleanser than I was, and since I have a lot of cleansers right now, I gave it to her to keep.

Dual Action Exfoliating Treatment: A luxurious exfoliating serum made from precious amethyst powder, barbados cherry and organic pineapple enzymes to effectively dissolve dead skin cells leaving a must brighter, more refined looking complexion. I loved this product a lot! It did everything it says and it smells good too!

pH optimizing Restorative Toner: Concentrated nourishing toner gently restores skin to its optimal pH level, improving texture and hydration. As someone who loves the way toner feels, I can say I liked this toner a lot. My friend also loved this toner and I now think she's hooked!

Anti Aging Antioxidant Serum: This award winning ultralight serum supplements skin's natural protective barrier and fights signs of premature aging with AOX-5 polyphenol compound. This serum was nice, but I ended up giving to my friend who really needed something like this in her skincare routine.

Balancing Daily Moisturizer: Exceptional high percentages of nurturing and restorative ancient herbs ease and correct the ravages of prolonged stress and compromised skin immunity. This was a nice moisturizer - not overly hydrating, but may be better used at night if you have oily skin like myself. This is another product my friend loved a lot.

Overall, this kit is a great way to try the brand, use for travel, and get better skin. Both myself and my friend really enjoyed the products in the kit, and liked the way they smelled. I'd recommend checking it out!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this collection? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

About a week ago I shared with you the VMV HYPOALLERGENICS Lip Gloss, and in this post I'll show you their Skintelligent Eyeshadow Duo in the shade Bardot. The way this shadow is packaged is really special - would make a great gift for someone in your life, or for yourself!

Check out my pics, swatches, stats, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Square compact that opens to reveal a mirror on one side and the two shadow shades on the other; compact comes in a zippered pouch and includes 3 mini brushes.

VMV HYPOALLERGENICS Skintelligent Eyeshadow Duo Review:

I was excited to try out these shadows after trying the VMV HYPOALLERGENICS Lip Gloss. The shadows are really nice and the packaging is fantastic. Although I do think it's a bit pricey, and I'm sure if the packaging was scaled back (I mean, really, when I am going to put that shadow compact back into that little pouch?), it could lower the cost on this shadow duo.

The shade I have, Bardot, features a purple/pink tone and a navy tone. Both are very pretty and the navy shade is to die for - great on its own or as liner.

Overall, another great product from VMV HYPOALLERGENICS that I'd recommend checking out!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this shadow? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

This is the March 2012 Sample Box Showdown! In this post I'll show you every box/kit/bag that I received this month from beauty subscription sampling programs. I'll show you what I received in each one, the value, and what I think is best and worst of the month. Enjoy!

March 2012 Sample Box Showdown!

Here are the sample boxes I received this month:

Larger pics of each box:

Value Breakdown:You can click on each box name to view that blog post.

I was really excited to get a Teen Vogue box this month in place of my regular Birchbox shipment. Even though I'm in my late 20's, I still was really excited at the prospect of bright, bolder choices. That's exactly what I received in my Teen Vogue box and I loved it!

Best Product: Tarte LipSurgence in Amused - this was a full sized item with a $24 value; the color was fantastic and has been on my wish list!

Worst Product: Annick Goutal Petite Cherie perfume sample - I'm just not a perfume sample kind of gal, so this was a let down in the box but the scent was surprisingly not bad.

This box was okay, nothing super amazing to write about but still nice products to try.

Best Product: Color Club polish -- but then again, I'm a polish addict so of course this was my favorite from this box!

Worst Product: The tea packets - I don't drink tea and I'm really tired of Birchbox including an edible item in my boxes; I want makeup not food & drink - even if this time around the tea is supposed to do good things for your skin.

I was incredibly frustrated with the lack of makeup choices once again. I changed my beauty profile over and over and over - making my age and choices different each time, but still not a single makeup item. The closest I could get was the Sun FX Body Shimmer and the Cover FX Eye Prep, so I took them.

Best Product: Barbor Argan Cream -- even though I haven't really used this a whole lot, it's so far my favorite of the entire kit.

Really disappointed with this shipment - the brush case, the brush itself, and the bag all smelled really strongly, and everything else was just blah. For some reason everyone got the Pur-Lisse Pur-Lip Comfort Daily Lip Nourisher in full sized, while mine was almost full sized. Not sure what happened there.

Best Product: Pur-Lisse Pur-Lip Comfort Daily Lip Nourisher -- only because everything else this month really wasn't exciting; and I already have this product (in full size).

Worst Product: The brush case, brush and bag -- the smell was strong of that cheap smell, you know it when you smell it, and it's bad.

This was their first shipment and I'm impressed so far, but disappointed there wasn't a single makeup item. Makes me wonder what future shipments will be like.

Best Product: REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask -- I have a major obsession with face masks and peels, and this one smelled great (like orange juice) and works.

Worst Product: Oscar De La Renta Esprit d'Oscar Deluxe Mini-Rollerball -- I can appreciate the fact they included a rollerball style mini instead of the usual sample vial, but I still don't like perfume samples and the fragrance wasn't something I'd be into.

So far, I'm not impressed with this service. I never received my February bag and my March bag wasn't that impressive. Still on the fence with this one.

Best Product: Shea Terra Organics Rose Hip Black Soap -- I have two of these size samples now, and I do like this cleanser, so that's why I picked this as the best product out of this months bag.

Worst Product: Franche Lip Luscious gloss -- I have to say that I really loved the way this gloss looked in the mini tube and even when swatched on my hand, but all that pretty-ness went completely away when applied to my lips. It just looked like a clear shiny gloss. Maybe if I apply it over a darker color lipstick it will come to life, but it was just a big disappointment.

This box was for my husband, so it's hard to compare it to the rest of the shipments, but I'll still include it in this review. I wasn't too impressed with this month's shipment; it was a lot of repeats and not a lot of variety as far as different brands.

Best Product: Anthony Logistics Algae Facial Cleanser -- I received 3 packets of this, and my husband likes this cleanser so that's why it's the best out of the box.

Worst Product: Kyoku for Men Body Wash samples -- just not something my husband was into.

Net Value: Products worth $15.26, minus the monthly fee ($10) = $5.26

And the winners & losers are...

Best Value: Beauty Army

My Favorite Pick: Birchbox Teen Vogue Box

Worst Value: My Platinum Box For Him

My Lease Favorite Pick: MyGlam

let me know what you think...

What shipment was your favorite this month? Which was your least favorite? Did you sign up for any new subscription services or did you cancel any this month? Discuss in the comments below.